BlackBerry Bold 9700 Review: Part 2

Yes, yes y’all. We’re back with Act 2. Following up on the much-loved BlackBerry 9700 Review: Part 1, we’re here to go over the T-Mobile version of the handset. We’ll give you another look at it, and clarify anything that might have changed between our previous not-final unit and what we have now (which is what you’ll be getting in stores). And of course give you some awesome pictures to drool over. After the jump, fine friends, is where the goodies are at!

Hardware changes

While not much has changed hardware-wise from a larger viewpoint, there are a couple things we’ve noticed. First off, if you look at the keyboard and the trackpad specifically, you’ll see a very small piece of plastic that’s connecting the back and menu keys. This actually broke in half on our pre-release BlackBerry 9700, and while it hasn’t affected its use, it got us a little concerned about the build quality. We haven’t confirmed whether the retail Bold 9700s use different parts or not, and we haven’t heard of this happening to anyone else, but it’s just something to look out for.

As far as the processor is concerned, we reported that the Bold 9700 was sporting an 800MHz capable CPU. RIM’s official specs say it’s a 624MHz processor, but we think it might be a newer model than what the original Bold had. It’s also quite possible it’s under-clocked as well. We’ll try and clarify this and report back. Regardless of the actual CPU specifications on the 9700 though, one thing is certain: it’s the fastest damn BlackBerry we’ve ever used. There unfortunately is no internal memory as there was on the previous Bold, and while we believe it’s carrier dependent, the T-Mobile unit ships with a 2GB microSD card.

One last thing about the hardware… honestly not a big deal, but since we’re comparing the retail unit to the other unit we had, Michael and I both noticed that the lock and mute keys are very easy to press on the retail unit. And that’s not for the best as we both accidentally lock / put our Bold 9700s in a mute coma from time to time. Again, not the end of the world, just a change from our other unit.

OS changes

OS 5.0 is finally ready to rock. The much-needed upgrade tries to bandage RIM’s aging yet nicely skinned operating system, and it seems to do a good job of it on the top layer. While dumb things like gradients, sounds for events, and other little UI improvements may look stupid on paper (read: they are), hey, us BlackBerry folk have to take all that we can get. And even though that’s not a lot, it’s still something to slightly freshen up this beast. Something we’ve noticed in the version on the 9700 is that marking messages as read takes a long, long time. This was an issue on a couple beta OS builds for the 9700, so it’s surprising to see it on a production OS. Not a show stopper, but something annoying if you mark message read fairly frequently like I do.

Keyboard changes

Oh those pesky QWERTY keyboards. Some are too small, some are too big, some are spaced too close, some have incorrect layouts — is there a perfect keyboard in existence? Well, if there’s one to be found, we’re pretty sure it is on the BlackBerry Bold 9700. A beautiful blend of the original Bold keyboard with the Tour’s keyboard, it really provides a great typing experience. Keys click but aren’t clackity, there’s enough spacing to allow a definition between keys yet it isn’t boat-sized like its older brother — and it just feels damn good to type on.

Phone changes

Using the phone as an actual phone is still really pleasurable. Calls are very clear, volume is great, and BlackBerry smartphones in general just rock as phones. There’s no fuss, you dial a number and make your call. We’re used to AT&T, but to be honest we couldn’t tell the difference between the two. This T-Mobile unit is solid and we experienced no dropped calls even in fringe areas, and 3G service was great.

Battery changes

This isn’t going to be fair because of T-Mobile’s global meltdown yesterday–the day when we were really pushing the 9700 to the floor– so, well, you know, it didn’t work. We were on SOS for the better part of a day, but Wi-Fi did stay connected to the outside world thankfully. Unfortunately however, Wi-Fi kind of ransacked our battery. The good news is that even with Wi-Fi on and connected for 12 hours straight with constant email usage, BlackBerry Messenger usage, and very light browsing, we still had around 25% of battery left at the end of the day. It’s great, and we’re really happy that RIM has further improved their battery life while making a device faster and smaller. We weren’t kidding when we said average usage is about double compared to the original Bold, and it looks to stay that way in the retail release.

Conclusion

You know, it’s sort of like clockwork. Once every six months we proclaim the latest BlackBerry to be the best BlackBerry ever. Well, we hate to disappoint you, but it doesn’t look like we’re stopping that tradition anytime soon. The BlackBerry Bold 9700, for whatever network it’s powered by, is the finest BlackBerry to date. From the gorgeous screen to the perfect keyboard, to the pocketable size and swift processor, the Bold 9700 seems like it can do almost anything you throw at it. With 256MB of RAM, you’ve got a little more room for applications and data, and the device doesn’t ever seem to get bogged down. We have never even gotten a spinning clock (yet). It’s that solid.

The BlackBerry platform has its advantages and disadvantages (what, we’re not vocal enough about it?), but if you’re an existing BlackBerry user or just don’t require a media-focused device, the Bold 9700 might be right up your alley.

Rogers, Bell, and TELUS in Canada have pretty much all started to release BlackBerry 9700 units into the wild, T-Mobile’s offering business customers a little head start, and AT&T’s looks to be near as well.

She wasn’t too shy with the review she ended of by saying “But since many of the Bold 9700’s features are about the same as less-expensive BlackBerrys, it’s worth considering the Tour and Curve 8900 before you spend $200 on a device that no longer lives up to its bold name.”

KidKnee

TMO will have it on Monday the 16th. I’ve been tracking this beast since August. Must have.

Tony

I just ordered 2 of the Bold 9700 phones and can’t wait to use them. I have used blackberry’s for years and so excitied about the 9700

Nessa

Highly disappointed with the 9700 which was released today. I am a Bold 9000 user and I am going to miss my huge display screen The 9700 is nothing but the tour with a track pad also where is the new curve? Not the 8900. Blackberry needs a real upgrade. I am looking forward to a Droid. When is AT&T going to release their first Android phone? If something doesn’t happen soon I’m going to Verizon.

Mandi

I’m returning this phone this weekend. And I thought the new iphone was crap..

I hate the thought of returning two phones in one week, it’s not typical of me, I just don’t like this phone… it’s too mushed together… If you’re a hyper texter like me, you can relate :)

Rogers sucks

I got the Bold 9700 on friday. So far I’ve found that its very fast, no comparison to my 8310.

I’m dissapointed that my UMA doesn’t work. I’m with Rogers and they said that I needed to subscribe to a service which they call Talkspot. Still doesn’t work. My gf has a pearl flip without the “talkspot” service enabled and her UMA works.

anyone else having this issue?

Chucky B

Shopping for a smart phone. More interested in email than texting and a phone that I can sync with outlook or act contact calendar on the road. Is Blackberry the right direction for me to look?

AT&T just got this phone and it is so legit! I love it so much that I am switching from Verizon over to AT&T as soon as possible. I could not find one thing wrong with this phone – it is absolutely substantial!

Dinnie

I am getting this soon! I love this review by the way.

ben

just got the phone. its to small .internet to slow. nothing to compare with the iphone3gs.

kingpaco

Indeed, the internet on the 9700 seems to be a lot slower than on my 3gs.. both with AT&T..

http://www.creationstudio.ca Website Design

This really is the best hardware technology from Blackberry. When shopping around though, I really wish its website was a bit more better in terms of the 360 degree images.

Fai

Hi,
I wanted this blackberry to be my new phone but I still concerned about a lot of thing likes apps or the slower performance if I have lots of app or picture. Do you suggest me to buy this or I just wait for 2-3 months until the new one coming out? Thnks you so much.

AJ

What can I say… the best phone on the market today.
If I want entertainment…I’ll go to the movies.
Great “UI” straight and to the point.
FAST!
Screen is perfect for the real horizontal eye-line we use everyday. Some “other” phones have big screens that you pinch and zoom to get to where the BB 9700 is already.

Other phones play smoke and mirrors… this IS the original ‘Smartphone”.

Forget the cheesy candy phones and get to the point.

BB BOLD 9700- Loving every minute of it.

logan

love the 9700. favorite phone, even better than hd2 in my opinion. love the keyboard, games are great, faster than my old phone. great unlocked blackberry. got a few for me and the little girl off of gsmauthority.com and we couldn’t be happier. 8 out of 10 stars.